From local architectural and human history to contemporary art and culture, the Fernie Museum’s exhibitions and programs offer a diversity of topics and themes that reflect the broad interests, creative energy and rich heritage of our region.
This Is Our Fernie
On the surface, Fernie might seem like any mountain resort town: beautiful vistas, interesting shops, and a busy ski resort.
If you look deeper, you will find a rich and dramatic history. It was a diverse and resourceful lot that toughed it out to build the small city of Fernie that we know today. The hardships and achievements those early settlers endured created powerful bonds of community that have held fast for over a century.
Our core exhibit, This Is Our Fernie, explores the many events that have helped shaped Fernie since the days of settlement in the 1880s, including fires that destroyed the town and devastating mining disasters.
Ktunaxa (pronounced ‘k-too-nah-ha’) people have occupied the lands adjacent to the Kootenay and Columbia Rivers and the Arrow Lakes of British Columbia, Canada for more than 10,000 years. This is Our Fernie will be updated in 2021 to better reflect the Fernie region as part of the homelands of the Ktunaxa. We are grateful for the opportunity to live, work and learn alongside the Ktunaxa people.
Exploring The Exhibit
- Follow the timeline of Fernie’s evolution through booms, busts, successes and tragedies
- Discover our work/life balance in We Work Hard, We Play Hard
- Explore Fernie stories using our interactive story stations
- Read about Mining, Bootlegging, Logging, Fishing, Skiing, and many other aspects of life that have shaped our community
- Meet some of the characters and early residents who founded the City of Fernie, including MLA Tom Uphill, Annie Balayti, J F Spalding, and more